Killian and Dawn Murphy were both homeowners when they married in September 2008. Killian sold his condo, and the pair lived in Dawn's Middletown house. Last spring, they began searching for a new property together, hoping to buy a newly constructed home. In May, they found a planned development in Rocky Hill and placed a deposit for a house on one of the sites. Over the next six months, they became involved in the custom plans, but the deal fell apart when the builder could not secure funding to purchase the land.

Three years ago, a street person, who ate regularly at a Hartford soup kitchen and lived in a hovel in the city's West End with his color television, died. Probate Judge Robert K. Killian Jr. ordered an inventory of his belongings and sent agents to check his room, cluttered with furniture, books and papers. But a closer inspection showed the man had squirreled away more than $200,000 in cash that he had taped to the bottom of drawers and inside mattresses. "You never know.

WILSON, Russell K. Russell K. Wilson, 83, of Brainard Hill Rd., Higganum, beloved husband of Margaret (Moffitt) Wilson, died Thursday, (May 29, 2008) at Middlesex Hospital. He was born in Middletown, the son of the late Robert and Theresa (Anderson) Wilson. A veteran of World War II, he served with the US Marines Corp. Prior to his retirement, he was a painter. Besides his wife, he is survived by two sons, Thomas Wilson and his wife, Mary of Lyme and Michael Wilson and his wife, Jennifer of Deep River; three daughters, Deborah Wilson of Higganum, Katherine Roberts and her husband, Peter of New London, and Laurie Wilson of Higganum; a brother, Earl Wilson of Higganum; a sister, Phyllis Hajek of Moodus; five grandchildren, Brooke Conway, and Elizabeth, Hannah, Elise, and Christopher Wilson; two great grandchildren, Killian and Kieran Conway; a daughter-in-law, Paula Ward of East Hampton; also several nieces and nephews.

A will that put Rocky Hill lawyer Richard Lafferty in line to inherit an elderly woman's six-figure estate was drawn up in a "contorted and ethically questionable" manner, a probate judge said Monday as he sent information about the case to the state panel that handles complaints against lawyers. But Hartford Probate Judge Robert K. Killian Jr. said the greatest tragedy is that, because of the machinations of the lawyers who drew up her will, Irene Burkhardtsmayer never had a real chance to say who should inherit her life savings, which at one point totaled $500,000 or more.

Paul F. Horgan, who started working as an apprentice at Ace Printery when he was 11 and went on to own and run the Hartford company, died Wednesday in Wethersfield. He was 57. "He was an inspiration to everyone," said Hartford Probate Court Judge Robert F. Killian Jr. Thursday. Horgan's wife, Nancy F. Piacenta, said that as a youngster her husband went to work with his mother, Margaret Horgan, and she taught him different jobs at the company. His mother died when he was 14, and he continued working at the firm, which was established by Sam Flaxman in 1928.

By RICK GREEN Rick Green's column appears on Tuesdays and Fridays. He can be reached at rgreen@courant.com., April 6, 2007

Head twisted to the side, the frail woman in the wheelchair had been waiting to speak to the General Assembly's judiciary committee for an hour. She endured the politicians and then Probate Judge O. James Purnell, who dismissed her cause -- reforming our ossified probate court system -- as "balderdash." In the past decade, Judith Desautell has gotten used to this trash talk. She lost her home, her possessions, her freedom, but never her dignity. "You can see the political ramifications in all this," Purnell sputtered, not realizing the eye-opening irony patiently waiting behind him. Shameful politics has preserved these 117 independent courts, which oversee estates, adoptions and health care disputes of the elderly and disabled.

GOULD. Attorney Samuel Gould, 88, of 8 The Crossways, West Hartford, senior partner in the law firm of Gould, Killian & Wynne of Hartford, died Tuesday (Oct. 11, 1994) at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center. Born in Hartford, he graduated from Suffield Academy, the University of Connecticut, and Boston University School of Law in 1932. Mr. Gould was admitted to the Connecticut Bar in 1934, and was a 60 year member of the Association. He was a partner in the Hartford law firm of Gould, Killian and Krechevsky, which is now known as Gould, Killian & Wynne.

Terry Road has long been a quiet enclave for Hartford's elites, who have nested in its neat colonials near the West Hartford border. But TV trucks and curiosity seekers broke the quiet Wednesday to cover the story of a doctor who police say confessed to strangling his wife in their home. When Florence Berkman moved onto the street 56 years ago, it was home to "old Hartford aristocrats," with their chauffeured drivers and servants, the former longtime arts critic for the Hartford Times recalled.

Two Hartford sisters whose estate is the subject of a probate court dispute lie in unmarked graves even though they left behind assets estimated at $500,000 or more. The lack of grave markers for Anna and Irene Burkhardtsmayer raises a new question about the actions of their lawyer, Richard Lafferty, who in 1988 was appointed to manage the affairs of the sisters, then elderly and ailing. Lafferty went on to collect legal fees of more than $150,000 -- including charges for nursing home visits.

KILLIAN, Edward G. Edward G. "Whitey" Killian, 91, of Bristol, died on Wednesday (February 6, 2008), at Sheriden Woods Health Care Center. Ed was born in Bristol on January 29, 1917 and was a son of the late Adam and Pauline (Becker) Killian. He served in the United States Navy during World War II and was a retiree of New Departure Division of General Motors. He loved to play all sports and attended many ball games during his lifetime. Ed was an active member of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Bristol, and a lifetime member of the Bristol Fish and Game Club and Jacklin Rod and Gun Club.

By RICK GREEN Rick Green's column appears on Tuesdays and Fridays. He can be reached at rgreen@courant.com., April 6, 2007

Head twisted to the side, the frail woman in the wheelchair had been waiting to speak to the General Assembly's judiciary committee for an hour. She endured the politicians and then Probate Judge O. James Purnell, who dismissed her cause -- reforming our ossified probate court system -- as "balderdash." In the past decade, Judith Desautell has gotten used to this trash talk. She lost her home, her possessions, her freedom, but never her dignity. "You can see the political ramifications in all this," Purnell sputtered, not realizing the eye-opening irony patiently waiting behind him. Shameful politics has preserved these 117 independent courts, which oversee estates, adoptions and health care disputes of the elderly and disabled.

Frillici-Killian Announcement is made of the engagement of Ms. Leigh Frillici and Dr. Thomas Charles Killian. She is the daughter of Liz and Don Frillici, longtime residents of Trumbull, and he is the son of Carl and Ruth Killian, formerly of Trumbull but now residing in Northeast, MD. The future bride and bridegroom were middle school classmates and both graduated from Trumbull High School. Ms. Frillici graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in English and toured Europe and the United States performing in musical theater before becoming an Emmy-nominated television news journalist.

ASSESSOR, Dorothy (Killian) Dorothy (Killian) Assessor, 77, beloved wife of Gerald J. Assessor, of South Windsor, died Friday (January 13, 2006) at Hartford Hospital. Born in Detroit, Michigan on May 11, 1928, daughter of the late, Max and Clara (Krausse) Killian, she had lived there before moving to South Windsor in 1969. Before retiring she was employed as a bookkeeper for Friendly's Restaurant Corporation and was a parishioner of St. Margaret Mary Church, South Windsor. In addition to her husband, she leaves two sons, Gerald A. and his wife, Linda Assessor of St. Charles, IL and Timothy M. Assessor of East Hartford; a brother, Donald and his wife, Dana Killian in Florida; two grandchildren, Thomas and his wife, Beth Assessor of Charlotte, NC and Brian Assessor of Alexandria, VA. Two daughters, Sheryl Lefebvre and Kathleen Assessor and a sister, Eleanor Young, predeceased her. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated, Wednesday in St. Joan of Arc Church, St. Claire Shores, MI with burial in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Detroit, MI. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to Alzheimer's Assoc.

By JOANNE JOHNSON; Special To The Courant And DAN UHLINGER; Courant Staff Writer, June 27, 2005

Robert K. Killian Sr., a former Connecticut lieutenant governor and attorney general known for his no-nonsense approach to issues, fighting political style and proud roots in Hartford's Frog Hollow neighborhood, died Saturday. Killian died at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford following a brief illness. He was 85. Former Gov. William A. O'Neill said the news of his longtime friend's death left him almost speechless. "I saw him at St. Francis just a month ago. His spirits were very good.

KILLIAN, John J., Jr. John J. Killian, Jr., 85, of Bridle Path Trail, Killingworth, passed away Tuesday, (February 15, 2005) at Mass. General in Boston, beloved husband of Dorothy (McAndrews) Killian. Mr. Killian was born in Pittston, PA on May 26, 1919. Son of the late John and Nora (McDonald) Killian, Sr. Mr. Killian was a World War II veteran serving in the Navy on the U.S.S. Chippola and in the field as a radar man. He retired from Marlin Firearms in North Haven after 43 years.

Once valued at $16 million, the estate of the prominent Hartford developer John P. Cotter Jr., who killed his family and himself in 1989, has decreased to less than $450,000, of which about 70 percent may go toward legal fees, according to probate records. There is a total of more than $3.8 million in claims against the estate by banks and creditors. The Hartford law firm of Sorokin Sorokin Gross Hyde & Williams says that in three years it has racked up $313,532 in fees resolving disputes with banks over property, selling off ammunition and the contents of Cotter's wine cellar, and collecting refunds on subscriptions to shooting and hunting magazines, among other things.

Killian and Dawn Murphy were both homeowners when they married in September 2008. Killian sold his condo, and the pair lived in Dawn's Middletown house. Last spring, they began searching for a new property together, hoping to buy a newly constructed home. In May, they found a planned development in Rocky Hill and placed a deposit for a house on one of the sites. Over the next six months, they became involved in the custom plans, but the deal fell apart when the builder could not secure funding to purchase the land.